“Hey, Anna, you must have made a mistake,” Martin said as he knelt on the ground.
Anna was tough and wanted to face Watson head-on. No matter how she looked at it, she looked like she would leave. Why would she choose to stay?
“That’s right. I want to stay, “Anna said as she glanced at Watson.
She had only said those words on impulse. She regretted it when she got up, but she could only force herself to stay. She did not expect Watson to let her go. She had wanted to refuse at first, but Watson had given her too much.
She would not be able to take revenge if she left that place. If she could become stronger by staying there, she might as well stay. She would think of ways to take revenge after she became stronger. At the very least, she would only consider those things after she became a gold-tier mage.
“Miss Anna, congratulations on making a wise decision. I will give you your reward now.”
Watson reacted and smiled slightly. He extended his hand. The skin on his palm squirmed as a bright sun gem appeared. “This sun gem is yours. As for the Phoenix Egg and this month’s gold coins, I will give them to you after you have officially signed a contract with Blackmoon Castle.”
Anna took the Sun Gem from Watson without hesitation; she carefully examined it before she put it into her mouth and swallowed it.
The Sun Gem was scorching hot and fragrant as it slid down Anna’s throat, making her moan contentedly. Then a flash of brilliant light burst from her body and turned her fiery red eyes golden.
A large amount of sunlight gathered on Anna’s body, making her look like a goddess who had descended from the sky. A gold-tier aura emerged from her body.
At that moment, Anna had become a gold-tier mage with both fire and light elements.
“Thank you,” Anna said; that gratitude came from the bottom of her heart.
She had worked hard in the Mage Guild for more than ten years, but she was only a peaked bronze-tier mage. She had yet to enter the silver tier. After consuming a gemstone, her strength had surpassed the silver tier and reached the gold tier directly. That was something that she would never be able to do in her lifetime.
‘Even though I’ve become a gold-tier mage, I should become stronger before talking about revenge! Hmm, it’s decided then.’
She had considered vengeance after she became a gold-tier mage, but then she regretted it. Watson could fight against platinum-tier elites, so, at least until she became the platinum tier. Anna prayed silently in her heart. She believed that Audrey’s soul in the underworld would not blame her if she knew about it.
The people there looked at Anna; their eyes filled with envy and hatred. She had not needed to do anything to become a gold-tier mage; she only needed to consume a gemstone. How could such a good thing not happen to them?
“Now, it’s your turn. Since I’ve given Miss Anna two choices, why don’t I give you two choices as well? Either become Blackmoon Castle’s slave or rebel against me! As I said earlier, I’m a merciful person. This is your last chance, so you must seize it.”
Watson turned his head to look at the people from the Mage Guild as they knelt on the ground.
There were now seven mages in residence, including Anna and Capella, who had recently been upgraded. He wanted to form a mage army, but the number of mages was insufficient, so he had to recruit from the Mage Guild.
“I am a member of the North Wind mercenary group, an individual with a soul and dignity. I can submit to Blackmoon Castle and serve as a guard here, but you want me to be a slave? Impossible!”
A bronze-tier warrior from the North Wind mercenary group stood up and said through gritted teeth.
That man was not concerned about the number of people around him. If he had not seen the reward Anna had received, he might have obediently chosen to become Blackmoon Castle’s slave to save his life. However, when he saw the benefits Anna had received, he became envious. He also wanted to test Watson’s resolve and see if he could receive the same reward.
“You are right; I will not become a slave.” In that world, men could have their heads severed, and blood flowed. Their dignity and fortitude must not be compromised!
Another warrior from the north wind mercenary group stood up. “If you want to kill me or cut me up, do as you please. I will never frown!”
“That’s right. You guys are courageous. Is there anyone else who wants to resist?” Watson nodded as he looked around.
More than ten mages and warriors stood up when they noticed his gaze. They stiffened their necks and remained silent, pretending to be unafraid of death. In fact, they were all considering what kind of reward they would receive later.
Martin paused for a moment, looking around at the people who had stood up, but he did not stand up. He was a little tense. If only he had fought like Anna did then. It was too late to get up. He was curious to see who would receive the reward first. If he could get up again, it would not be too late, but Watson would almost certainly punish those people.
He felt that Watson’s second round of choices was too tempting; after honey, it was often a trap.
“Very good. Since you have chosen the second path, I will give you your rewards now.”
Watson narrowed his eyes and looked at the people who had stood up. He waved his hand and called for Capella. “Capella, come over.”
“What’s the reward? Is it the same sun gem?”
“We fought in the second round. The reward might not be that good! I don’t need a gold-tier gem. As long as I can become an official guard in Blackmoon Castle and receive ten gold coins a month, that’s enough.”
The mages and warriors, who had previously been stiff-necked, discussed it enthusiastically. There was, indeed, a reward for resisting Watson. In any case, all they needed was a place to stay and a decent place to live.
“The reward for the second round of resistance is to be killed and fused into Capella’s body.”
The system fusion was activated.
“What?” someone exclaimed.
“No! I was wrong, Young Master Watson. I won’t resist you anymore. Argh!” someone knelt.
Unfortunately, it was too late.
Amidst the terrifying screams, the joy on the faces of the people who got up had utterly disappeared. They turned into streaks of light and were fused into Capella’s body; that made Capella’s powerful aura even stronger.
[Congratulations, Master, for a successful fusion. Combat maid, Capella, has obtained the strength of a gold-tier warrior.]
[Gold-tier combat maid: Capella]
[Abilities: an omnipotent maid who can handle all household chores such as washing, cooking, and cleaning. She possesses the strength of a gold-tier mage and a gold-tier warrior. She has mastered a variety of spells and a gold-tier combat aura with both water and fire elements.]
[Additional abilities: Charisma, intelligence, decision-making, charm, and courage (will fight bravely against enemies, combat strength increased by 20%).]
“You have not only attained the standard of a gold-tier warrior, but you have also obtained additional courage. Not bad.” Watson nodded his head in satisfaction. There were only 50 people left from the Mage Guild and the North Wind mercenary group. That was half of the people who had shown up.
Those 50 men were trembling. They looked at Watson in disbelief. One of them asked, “Why? Why did that happen?”
Anna had received a reward for resisting Watson, but those who opposed later were punished. Just because they were late by one round, Watson did not believe their words.
At that moment, Watson’s smiling face no longer looked cute in their eyes. He was no longer like a child but a devil.
“I’ll tell you why.”
Watson’s tone was calm. He said, “In the first round, I gave you two choices. That was to test your loyalty. Only the loyal ones would be exempted from punishment! In the second round, I gave you the same choice. That was to test your wisdom. If you’re smart enough, you should understand that you wouldn’t get anything from me if you stood up then. Those who stood up in that situation were all idiots, and idiots are not qualified to join Blackmoon Castle.”
After a short pause, he continued to say, “Now, I’m going to give you a third chance. Do you want to stand up against me?”
Devil.
Watson was a devil.
Everyone had that thought in their minds. No one dared to stand up again. They all prostrated themselves on the ground. “Surrender, we surrender! We’re willing to become Blackmoon Castle’s slaves. Please don’t toy with us anymore.”
Some of them had planned to join Blackmoon Castle just to obtain rewards or pretend to be someone from Blackmoon Castle as they waited for an opportunity to rebel. Those little thoughts had all dissipated. Watson’s two rounds of actions had made them understand that they could not defeat that youth. Any bad ideas would only make them even more miserable.
He was a child, yet he had such iron-blooded methods; it had shocked them profoundly.
